Attachment for typewriting machines



March 6, 1934. H w 1,949,790

ATTACHMENT FOR TYPEWRITING MACHINES Filed Nov. 16, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l m an IF NATI NAL BANK umm$q "Juno March 6, 1934. 5 ELwELL 1,949,790

ATTACHMENT FOR TYPEWRITING MACHINES Filed Nov. 16, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVE TEIIF-k Patented Mar. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT? GFFICE George Henry Elwell, New Haven, Conn, assignor of one-half to Herbert 0. Keith, New Haven,

Conn.

Application November 16, 1931, Serial No. 575,251

5 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in an attachment for typewriter machines and more particularly to bank-check writers adapted for use in connection with typewriting machines.

The objects of the invention are to provide, as an attachment to a standard make of typewriting machine, a bank-check writer for cooperative use therewith for the full writing and securing of bank-checks, and the like; to provide a bankcheck writer so associated with a typewriting machine that a bank-check may be partially written by the typewriting machine and presented thereby to the bank-check writer for completion without returning the bank-check to hand; and to provide, as an attachment to a typewriting machine, a bank-check writer that may be swung back out of the way when not in use. With these and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafter appear, the invention consists in certain features of novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and particularly pointed out wherein patentable novelty is claimed for certain features of the device, it being understood that, within the scope of what hereinafter may be claimed, various changes in form, proportion, size, adaptability and minor details of the construction can be made without departing from the spirit or modifying any of the advantages of the invention.

The character of the invention may be best understood by reference to one illustrative device embodying the invention and illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which the Figure l is the side elevation of a standard make of typewriting machine provided with the attachment; the Figure 2 is the front elevation of an upper portion of a typewriting machine provided with the attachment in position to operate upon a bank-check held by the typewriting machine; the Figure 3 is an enlarged front elevation of the body structure of the attachment; the Figure 4 is a cross-section upon the line 4-4" in the next previous figure; the Figure 5 is a top portion of the body structure illustrated in perspective; the Figure 6 is a body portion (including a male die member) illustrated in perspective; the Figure 7 is a group of male die member parts (including a compression spring) illustrated in perspective; the Figure 8 is a bottom body portion of the device illustrated in perspective; the Figure 9 is a fragmentary portion of a bar in perspective and upon which the body structure of the device is adapted to be slidingly mounted; the Figure 10 is a per- 0 spective view of the female die member; the Figure 11 is a cross-section of the female die member engaged by a male die member, the female die member being illustrated containing an ink-absorbing material and the Figure 12 is a top view of a body structure and attached guide.

The novelty of the invention chiefly residing, as it does, in the relative association of a bankcheck writer and a typewriting machine, the bank-check writer may be of any desired form that may be adapted as an attachment to any standard or special make of typewriting machine. But, for the purpose of illustration, the bankcheck writer having the body structure 1 is especially adapted for attachment to any standard make of typewriting machine 2, the body struc ture l of the bank-check writer having a pivotal mounting upon the machine 2 by means of the brackets 3 and the pivots 4 permitting the bankcheck writer to assume either one of the two atrest positions illustrated, in full and dotted lines, by the Figure 1, one of these positions being determined by the stop 3 and maintaining the bank-check writer out of the way when not in use, and the other position placing the body structure 1 of the bank-check writer in such a relative at-rest position upon the carriage 6' of the typewriting machine 2, that, as the bank-check 5 is moved upwardly by means of the rotation of the cylinder knob 6 of the typewriting machine 2, the bank-check 5 is received between the guide 5' and the body structure 1 of the bank-check writer. While still held by the typewriting machine 2 which controls the presentment and proper alignment of the bank-check 5, the bankcheck writer is adapted to write upon the bankcheck 5 the desired amount in such manner that the bank-check 5 may be completely written and protected against falsification by the cooperative functioning of the typewriting machine and its attachment before being returned to hand.

The attachment for typewriting machines comprises the body structure 1 slidingly mounted upon the bar 7 having an undulated top surface 8 along which may drag the spring device 9 carried by the body structure 1 to measure the steps of the sliding movement thereof upon the bar 7. The bar 7 is provided by the brackets 3 which brackets 3 are pivctally mounted upon the side structures of the typewriting machine 2 by means of the pivots 4 and thus adapting the bank-check writer to swing to the two at-rest positions illustrated by the Figure 1 in full and dotted lines. The body structure 1 of the bank-check writer, illustrated by the Figures 3 and 4, comprises the platform 10 having the top flat surface 11 between the ends 11, each end having a frontal declining face 12, the under surface of the platform 10 having the groove 13 as illustrated by the Figure 6. The top portion 14 of the body structure 1 is longitudinally provided with the exterior rail 15 and the interior partition 16, the latter having the transverse key slots 16', 16", 16", and 16"" therethrough, as illustrated by the Figure 5. The bottom portion 17, illustrated by the Figure 8, is, together with the top portion 14, adapted to be secured to opposite surfaces of the body portion 1' by means of screws, the bar 7 first being inserted" within the groove 13 and the drag-spring 9 resting in one of the undulations 8, as illustrated by the Figure 3. The male die members 18, thirteen in number, of which one is illustrated by the Figures 6 and '7, are each comprised of a key post 19 having at either end the enlargement 20 or 21, the enlargement 20 having the inclined face 22 provided with the designation of the character of the male die with which the enlargement 21 is provided. The post 19 and at least one of the enlargements, such as 20, are separably connected by screw means provided by the connected parts, a compression spring 24 being mounted upon the post 19 before the assembly of the connected parts. The thirteen male die members 18 are each provided with one of the following dies: Dollars 1 2" 3 l4! (5" (6" 7,1 (8 9|, 0" (811d) teen 1, structure of die members 18 having the dies "Dollars" and Cents" preferably having two posts 19. Before the top portion 14 is secured to the body portion 1', the thirteen male die members are each placed in position relative to their particular order, as above described, so that each post 19 will occupy a key slot 16 16" 16" or 16", the compression spring 24 engaging between the partition 16 and the enlargement 20 to independently maintain each die member 18 in a normal forwardly position to which position it is spring returned after its operative movement rearwardly, as about to be explained. The top portion 14 being screwed down upon the body portion 1 secures the male die members 18 in place for operation. Slidably mounted upon the rail 15 is the conveyor 25 carrying the lever 26 having the rigid arm 27, the lever 26 being pivotally operable and the rigid arm being provided with the roller 28 normally resting upon the upper portion of any of the inclined faces 22 and being adapted to travel down such face 22 as the manually operable lever 26 is borne downwardly thereby forcing the male die member inwardly against its spring tension. The conveyor 25 is provided with the ball bearings 29 to promote the ease with which it may travel back and forth upon the rail 15. The bank-check guide 5 is rigidly supported by the body portion 1' of the body structure 1 of the bank-check writer in such a manner as to leave a passage 30 between the guide 5 and the body structure 1 to admit within such passage not only the full length of a bankcheck 5 but also to permit lateral travel therein of the check as carried by the carriage 6 to properly adjust the position of the bank-check 5 as regards the bank-check writer. The guide 5 comprises in structure the spaced walls 31 and 32 between which ink-absorbing material 33 may be inserted. The walls 31 and 32 of the guide 5 correspond in length to the length of the body structure 1 to which the guide 5' is secured by means of the looped arms 5" the ends of which are secured to opposite ends of the body structure 1 by means of soldering or other convenient means. The wall 31 is provided with perforations 34, each perforation being the counterpart of the male dies 18 and so located that each perforation 34 is in perfect registration with its corresponding male die 18 when manually borne backwardly thereagainst, the male dies 18 being so formed that, as they are forced backwardly against the inserted bank-check 5, the paper is cut and the cut edges thereof contact with the ink-absorbed material behind the female die perforations 34 and thus protectingly defining the cut impressions made in the bank-check 5 by the particular male and female dies.

In operation, the bank-check is centrally inserted into the typewriting machine 2 and the body structure 1 of the bank-check writer is placed in the full line position as illustrated by the Figure l. The date, and the name of the payee is-then written upon the bank-check 5 by means of the typewriting machine 2, and, as the bankcheck 5 travels upwardly by means of turning the cylinder knob 6 provided by the typewriting ma chine 2, the bank-check 5 enters the passage 30 to be positioned relative to the male and female dies. The conveyor 25 is then adjusted that the impression Dollars" may be made, at the beginning of the line upon which the sum is to be written, by pressing down the lever 26 to travel the roller 28 down the inclined face 22 thus forcing the male die member backwardly to cut and imprint the character of the registering male and female dies upon the bank-check as aforesaid. The conveyor 25 is then relatively moved, as regards the body structure 1 of the bank-check writer, to the particular numeral upon the inclined faces 22 with which the desired sum begins, and then the bank-check writer is moved along until the pointer 35 registers with the first numeral upon the scale 36 fixedly carried by the bar 'I. The operating lever is then forced downwardly as before. The conveyor each time is moved to its position at an inclined face 22 bearing the desired numeral and the bank-check writer moved to properly register the pointer 35 with the scale 36 before the operating lever is pressed down as above explained until the desired sum is written upon the bank-check 5, the word Dollars" being used at the end of the written sum provided that no cents are included; for in that event the word Cents would be used, the

dollars and cents being separated by the word IKandDY' I claim: 1. The separable combination of a standard typewriting machine and a check protector for attachment to said machine, the protector comprising a body structure having a paper-receiving guide, said structure supporting die mechanism operable upon paper inserted in said guide, and selective means for operating said mechanism, the body structure having a sliding movement upon a bracket attached to said machine to suspend the protector over a paper-holding and advancing means provided by the typewriting machine which thereby is adapted to advance and hold, subject to the action of said die mechanism, the paper thus inserted in said guide.

2. The separable combination of a standard typewriting machine and a check protector for attachment to said machine, the protector comprising a body structure having a paper-receiving guide, said structure supporting die mechanism operable upon paper inserted in said guide, selective means for operating said mechanism,

the body structure having a sliding movement upon a bracket attached to said machine to suspend the protector over a paper-holding and advancing means provided by the typewriting machine which thereby is adapted to advance and hold, subject to the action of said die mechanism, the paper thus inserted in said guide, and pivotal means provided by said attachment of said brackct to said typewriting machine thereby adapting said body structure to be swung with said bracket away from the paper-holding and advancing means of sai typewriting machine when the operator is not in use.

3-. The separable combination of a standard typewriting machine and a check protector, said combination including two distinct, but separably attachable, working units, the check protector comprising a body structure having a paper-receiving guide, said body structure supporting die mechanism operable upon paper inserted in said guide and also providing selective means for operating said mechanism, the body structure having a sliding movement upon a bracket attachable to said typewriting machine and adapted to suspend the protector in such manner over a paper-holding and advancing means provided by the typewriting machine that paper thus held may be advanced for insertion within said guide of the check protector and, while thus held by the typewriting machine and inserted in said guide, the paper is made subject to the action of said die mechanism.

4. The separable combination of a standard typewriting machine having a paper-holding and advancing means, and type mechanism operable upon paper held by said means, with a check protecting device, said combination including two distinct, but separably attachable working units, the check-protecting device comprising a body structure having a paper-receiving guide, said body structure supporting die mechanism operable upon paper inserted in said guide, and also providing selective means for operating said die mechanism, the body structure having a sliding movement upon a bracket attachable to said typewriting machine and adapted to suspend the check protecting device in such manner over the paper-holding and advancing means of said typewriting machine that paper thus held may be advanced for insertion within said guide of the check protecting device and, while thus held by the typewriting machine and at the same time inserted in said guide of the check protecting device, the inserted paper is thereby made subject to the action of said die mechanisi 5. The separable combination of a standard typewriting machine and a check protector for attachment to said machine, the said machine having a paper-holding and advancing means. and the protector comprising a body structure having a paper receiving guide, said structure supporting die mechanism operable upon paper held by said holding means and inserted in said guide by said advancing means, and selective means for operating said mechanism, said paper-holding means and said body structure having a relative sliding movement to relatively position the paper and selected die of said mechanism while the paper is thus held.

GEORGE HENRY ELWELL. 

